Heavenly Mexican Tortilla Casserole

            This dish is the perfect meal for a switch up on Taco Tuesday or when you have friends over. It is simple to prepare and delicious to eat. You are going to love this meal! You can make the entire dish ahead of time, freeze it and bake for a short time when you want to serve it. This would be a great vegetarian dish, just remove the ground beef from the recipe.

            We had a work party a couple of months ago, this is one of the dishes that were served. It was phenomenal, it was hearty, and perfect amounts for a weeknight dinner at home.

So of course, I had to replicate this dish at home. The family absolutely loves it and requests it quite often. Instead of corn tortillas, I changed it up and used flour tortillas. That made the flavor jump a few notches for the good.

Obviously, you can make changes to the recipe if you want. Make it with flour tortillas and think of it as a Mexican lasagna meal.

Frequently Asked Questions:

            Do I have to use the flour tortillas?

Of course not! You can use the corn tortillas if you prefer them. That may make them taste more like a nacho flavor. That is how we had it at our work gathering. It was fabulous.

            Can I use different meat?

Chicken can easily be substituted for ground beef. You could also use ground sausage, turkey or even pork. Vegetarians will skip the meat, add tofu or extra beans.

            How can I freeze this?

When the dish is cooled, wrap individual servings in plastic wrap or place into a freezer safe bag. They can be heated in the microwave, air fryer or conventional oven.

What do you need to make Mexican Tortilla Casserole:

            5 large flour tortillas

            ½ can of corn drained

            1 can Rotel chile and tomatoes, drained

            1 large can refried beans

            1 ½ pounds lean ground beef

            ½ large onion, finely chopped

            2 cups cooked rice

            1 pkg. Taco Seasoning mix

            2 cups Cheddar Cheese

            Green Onions, chopped and used as garnish

How to make Mexican Tortilla Casserole:

FIRST STEP:

Preheat the oven to 350*

In a large skillet, brown the ground beef and the diced onion

SECOND STEP:

Add the taco seasoning into the meat and combine well.  Saute for a few more minutes to allow the seasoning to combine with the meat.

THIRD STEP:

Use a springform pan that is the same size as the tortillas that you are using. Spray the bottom and sides with non stick spray

Begin to layer the casserole as follows:

First layer is tortilla, ½ of the rice, ½ can of the rotel, sprinkle with some cheddar cheese

FOURTH STEP:

Second layer is tortilla, ⅓ of the meat, ⅓ of the beans, half of the corn and sprinkle with cheddar cheese

Layer three has a tortilla, ⅓ of the beans, ⅓ of the meat, ½ the Rotel  and sprinkle with some of the cheddar cheese

FIFTH STEP:

Layer four has the tortilla, ⅓ of the beans, ⅓ of the meat, half the corn, ½ of the rice and sprinkled with cheese.

Top with one tortilla and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

a)

b)

c)

d)

SIXTH STEP:

Cover with aluminum foil and place in the oven.

SEVENTH STEP:

Bake for 40 minutes while covered, then

Remove the foil and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Garnish with freshly chopped green onion or cilantro.

Enjoy!

YUM!